Hair trimming device

ABSTRACT

A lightweight, easily manipulated hair trimming device especially adapted for use in self-trimming axillary hair from the human body. The device comprises a comb portion having a fixed and movable cutting blade removably mounted therein, and a handle portion provided with an actuator for moving the movable blade through a restricted hair shearing stroke. The blades are maintained in operative relation with respect to one another by means which can be disassembled without the need of a tool thereby enabling easy cleaning of the blades and the comb portion.

Jan. 23, 1973 United States Patent n 1 Ford et al.

[ HAIR TRIMMING DEVICE Primary Examiner-Robert C. Riordon Assistant Examiner-Gary L. Smith m a r r. S & s m a H cm r m n m e g A n.. R a P T S s B .m A 6 t s n k W m r ma n 5 AD. [1 d mw 08 ON W m ll E HG v 8 R n O .l L ww m n 0 n- FLS 0 1 2 wsu i e90 myo 6 m JWhH K r O t n e v n I. l. 6 7 l.

[22] Filed: 1971 A lightweight, easily manipulated hair trimming device Appl.No.: 119,138 especially adapted for use in self-trimming axillary hair from the human body. The device comprises a comb portion having a fixed and movable cutting U.S. 30/2335 blade removably mounted therein, and a handle pop Int. Cl. 13/26 .30/30, 195, 212, 213, 233.5

tion provided with an actuator for moving the mova- [58] Field ble blade through a restricted hair shearing stroke. The blades are maintained in operative relation with References Cited respect to one another by means which can be disas- UNITED STATES PATENTS sembled without the need of a tool thereby enabling easy cleaning of the blades and the comb portion.

2,645,849 Gent...........................,.......30/l95 x 2 741 842 4/1956 sha inm.................................3o/212 7 Clam, 6 Drawmg Figures FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS PMENTEUJAH 23 ms luvsurons Russsu. J. NADHERNY JAMES W. Foreo lll Arr-v8.

HAIR TRIMMING DEVICE This invention relates to a hair trimming device particularly adapted for use in self-trimming axillary hair.

Numerous hand manipulated devices have heretofore been developed for trimming or removing unwanted hair from the human body, especially the female human body. Many of these devices, however, suffer from one or more shortcomings, chief among which are their cumbersomeness and lack of maneuverability, particularly in the trimming of axillary hair, their tendency to pull the hair during cutting, their comparatively complex construction which makes cleaning and maintenance of moving parts difficult, and, lastly, their relatively high initial cost.

In accordance with the present invention, a hair trimming device is provided which overcomes all of the aforementioned shortcomings of conventional hair trimming devices. The device is light in weight, and of a size and shape such that the self-trimming of axillary hair can be easily accomplished. In this latter connection, while, traditionally, the trimming and/or removal of axillary hair has been practiced almost exclusively by women, the device of this invention can be used to advantage by men to self-trim axillary hair for the purpose of enabling more thorough and efficient application of deodorants to the axillary regions thereby prolonging the effective action of such substances. The positive action of the shearing means of the device, and the extent of the movement thereof, substantially prevents any pulling of hair during trimming. The device incorporates a minimum number of moving parts, and can be readily disassembled for cleaning without the need for any tools. In addition, it can be manufactured from readily available, low cost materials with standard equipment.

The hair trimming device of the present invention, in brief, comprises a comb portion, having a plurality of equally spaced, parallely arranged, tapered comb teeth formed along one side thereof, and a handle portion, joined at one end to the the comb portion, and having a finger controlled actuator mounted therein. A stationary or fixed cutting blade and a movable cutting blade are removably mounted in the comb portion, and are prevented from coming into direct contact with the skin by the tapered teeth of the comb portion. Each blade has a plurality of shearing teeth formed along one side thereof, and the movement of the teeth of the movable blade with relation to the teeth of the fixed blade is such that essentially no pulling of the hair results from the cooperative shearing action of the teeth. Caming means advantageously is employed to actuate the movable cutting blade. A removable retaining clip is provided for the comb portion for maintaining the fixed cutting blade and the movable cutting blade in operative relation to each other. The retaining clip can be removed from the comb portion without the need of a tool thereby facilitating cleaning and sanitizing of the comb portion and the blades after each use of the device.

The foregoing, and other features and advantages of the invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view in elevation of an embodiment of the hair trimming device of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view partly in section of said embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side view partly in section showing the position of the fixed cutting blade and the movable cutting blade prior to actuation of the movable cutting blade;

FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to the view of FIG. 3 showing the position of the teeth of the movable cutting blade in relation to the teeth of the fixed cutting blade after the movable cutting blade has been moved through its full shearing stroke;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken substantially along line 5-5 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken substantially along line 66 of FIG. 2.

The embodiment of the hair trimming device of the present invention illustrated comprises a head or comb portion 10 and a handle portion 12. The comb portion 10 and the handle portion 12 advantageously are molded, or otherwise formed, as a unitary or one-piece body, and may be fabricated of a plastics material, a lightweight metal such as aluminum, or the like.

The head or comb portion 10 of the device shown is provided with a plurality of elongated, spaced, parallely arranged, downwardly tapered comb teeth 14 along one side thereof. As best seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, the comb portion 10 is formed with a blade receiving channel 16 which extends into the upper portion of each of the comb teeth 14. The channel 16 is adapted to receive a fixed cutting blade 18 and a movable cutting blade 20. The blade 18 and the blade 20 are each provided with a plurality of shearing teeth 18a and 20a, respectively, along one side thereof. The shearing teeth 18a and 20a extend downwardly through the channel 16 into the comb teeth 14, and are adapted to shear hair received in the spaces between the comb teeth 14.

The fixed cutting blade 18 has a pair of spaced round openings 22-22, while the movable cutting blade 20 has a pair of correspondingly spaced elongated or oval shaped openings 24-24, which openings are in register and are adapted to receive a pair of spaced extensions or pins 26-26 formed on one surface of a removable insert or blade locking member 30 carried by the head or comb portion 10. It should be understood, of course, that the pins 2626 can be formed on the wall of the comb portion 10 instead of on the member 30. The comb portion 10, as well as the blades 18 and 20, and the member 30, are slotted to provide a chamber 32 for a compression spring 34, the function of which will become clear as the description proceeds. An elongated, resilient, U-shaped, removable retaining clip 36 is provided for the head or comb portion 10 to secure the locking member 30 on the comb portion 10, and to maintain the blades 18 and 20 in operative relation with respect to each other. The comb portion 10 and the locking member 30 advantageously are reduced, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, to provide shoulders 37-37 which act as guides for sliding the clip 36 on and off of the comb portion 10. An added advantage of this construction is the retention of the smoothly curved contours of the portion 10.

The handle portion 12, as shown, is substantially hollow, and is formed with an elongated opening 38 at the base thereof. An actuator 40 is carried by the handle portion 12 and protrudes outwardly from the opening 38. The actuator 40, at its rearward end, is pivotally mounted in the handle portion 12 by a pin 42. The forward end of the actuator 40 is provided with a slot 44 which receives a rearwardly extending arm 46 of a cam lever 50. The cam lever 50 is pivotally mounted in the handle portion 12 by a pin 52, and, as shown, has a shorter, upwardly extending arm 54 which makes slidable contact with the rearward edge of the movable cutting blade 20.

In operation, the handle portion 12 of the device is grasped in one hand of an operator in a manner whereby pressure can be applied by the fingers to the actuator 40. The normal or initial position of the actuator 40, the cam lever 50, the fixed cutting blade 18, and the movable cutting blade 20 is best shown in FIG. 3. As pressure is applied to the actuator 40 by the fingers of an operator, the shorter arm 54 of the cam lever 50 slides along the rearward edge of the movable cutting blade 20, against the action of the spring 34', causing the teeth 20a of the blade 20 to move through a short, as determined by the oval shaped openings 24-24 in the movable cutting blade 20, shearing stroke. The position of the teeth 20a of the movable cutting blade 20 in relation to the cooperating teeth 18a of the fixed cutting blade 18 is illustrated in FIG. 4. As shown, the teeth 20a, at the completion of the shearing stroke, do not completely overlie the teeth 18a. Instead, they are restricted to movement through a distance of about two-thirds to three-quarters the width of the teeth 18a as measured at their base. By thus limiting the shearing stroke of the teeth 20a, a more positive hair cutting action is achieved, and any tendency of the teeth to pull the hair being trimmed is substantially eliminated. Upon release of the pressure exerted by the fingers on the actuator 40, the compression spring 34 returns the movable cutting blade 20 to its normal position as shown in FIG. 3. The teeth 18a and 20a are not intended to perform any hair shearing action during the return stroke.

While for purposes of illustration a preferred embodiment of this invention has been shown and described, other forms thereof may become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to this disclosure and, therefore, it should be understood that any such departures from the specific embodiment shown and described are intended to fall within the spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A hair trimming device having special utility for self-trimming axillary hair comprising a one-piece comb portion having a plurality of equally spaced parallely arranged comb teeth formed along one side thereof, a substantially hollow handle portion joined at one end to the comb portion and integral therewith, a

fixed cutting blade and a movable cutting blade removably mounted within said comb portion, each of the blades having a plurality of shearing teeth along one side thereof and being adapted to cut hair received between the teeth of the comb portion, a removable blade locking member for the comb portion for maintaining the fixed blade and the movable blade in operative position in the comb portion and for enabling the blades to be removed from the comb portion for cleaning or replacement, a finger controlled actuator pivotally mounted within the substantially hollow handle portion, a cam lever in engagement with the actuator and the movable cutting blade, blade support means for restrictin the shearing stroke of the teeth of the movable cut mg blade in relation to the teeth of the fixed blade, biasing means within the comb portion to return the movable blade to its initial position after each shearing stroke, and removable retaining clip means positioned in overlying relation on the side of the comb portion opposite to that on which the comb teeth are formed for maintaining the removable blade locking member in position on the comb portion.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein the fixed cutting blade and the movable cutting blade are each provided with a pair of spaced openings therethrough, the openings in the movable cutting blade being in register with the openings in the fixed cutting blade and being larger to permit lateral movement of the movable cutting blade with respect to the fixed cutting blade.

3. A device according to claim 2 wherein the openings in the movable cutting blade are of a size such that the shearing teeth thereof will not completely overlie the shearing teeth of the fixed cutting blade at the greatest lateral distance of travel of the movable cutting blade.

4. A device according to claim 2 wherein the comb portion is provided with blade support means for maintaining the openings in the fixed and the movable cutting blades in register.

5. A device according to claim 2 wherein the removable blade locking member has blade support pins for maintaining the openings in the fixed and the cutting blades in register.

6. A device according to claim 1 wherein the removable clip means comprises a U-shaped resilient clamp which is engaged on the side of the comb portion opposite to the side thereof where the comb teeth are formed.

7. A device according to claim 1 wherein the biasing means comprises a compression spring which is positioned in a chamber in the comb portion. 

1. A hair trimming device having special utility for selftrimming axillary hair comprising a one-piece comb portion having a plurality of equally spaced parallely arranged comb teeth formed along one side thereof, a substantially hollow handle portion joined at one end to the comb portion and integral therewith, a fixed cutting blade and a movable cutting blade removably mounted within said comb portion, each of the blades having a plurality of shearing teeth along one side thereof and being adapted to cut hair received between the teeth of the comb portion, a removable blade locking member for the comb portion for maintaining the fixed blade and the movable blade in operative position in the comb portion and for enabling the blades to be removed from the comb portion for cleaning or replacement, a finger controlled actuator pivotally mounted within the substantially hollow handle portion, a cam lever in engagement with the actuator and the movable cutting blade, blade support means for restricting the shearing stroke of the teeth of the movable cutting blade in relation to the teeth of the fixed blade, biasing means within the comb portion to return the movable blade to its initial position after each shearing stroke, and removable retaining clip means positioned in overlying relation on the side of the comb portion opposite to that on which the comb teeth are formed for maintaining the removable blade locking member in position on the comb portion.
 2. A device according to claim 1 wherein the fixed cutting blade and the movable cutting blade are each provided with a pair of spaced openings therethrough, the openings in the movable cutting blade being in register with the openings in the fixeD cutting blade and being larger to permit lateral movement of the movable cutting blade with respect to the fixed cutting blade.
 3. A device according to claim 2 wherein the openings in the movable cutting blade are of a size such that the shearing teeth thereof will not completely overlie the shearing teeth of the fixed cutting blade at the greatest lateral distance of travel of the movable cutting blade.
 4. A device according to claim 2 wherein the comb portion is provided with blade support means for maintaining the openings in the fixed and the movable cutting blades in register.
 5. A device according to claim 2 wherein the removable blade locking member has blade support pins for maintaining the openings in the fixed and the cutting blades in register.
 6. A device according to claim 1 wherein the removable clip means comprises a U-shaped resilient clamp which is engaged on the side of the comb portion opposite to the side thereof where the comb teeth are formed.
 7. A device according to claim 1 wherein the biasing means comprises a compression spring which is positioned in a chamber in the comb portion. 